Breaksea Island Lighthouse

Due to the remote location of the Breaksea Island Lighthouse, several challenges were overcome to complete the remediation of this vital lighthouse which still provides a beacon for returning Australian Travelers and Fisherman today.

Working in conjunction with AMSG (Australian Maritime Systems Group), IPCQ helps to maintain and preserve these navigational aids dotted around Australia’s vast coastline which are often found in isolated locations.

The restoration works at Breaksea Island Lighthouse commenced in January 2020 and took seven months to complete. A small 5 man team flew to the Island via helicopter and stayed in the old historical huts built on site in 1889.

The crew endured tough conditions on site due to the remote location, unpredictable weather and undeveloped land. With no cars on the island, the crew used quad bikes to gain access to the jetty to pick up the weekly supply drop. Helicopters and boats were used to move materials, equipment and crew on and off of the island. The crew where required to return to the main land several times due to severe storm warnings.

IPCQ took on the difficult task of removing pre-existing lead coating and applying new protective coatings to the 100+ year old building. This included copper, brass and bronze surfaces, concrete and masonry, aluminum, galvanized and stainless steel surfaces, tower walls (rendered granite), timber structures, cast iron lattice and glass pieces. Each surface had to maintain the historical significance to the period which required colour matching old paint and carefully handling antique pieces of the lighthouse.

While onsite the crew assisted the National Parks Association by distributing penguin nesting boxes throughout the island and provided much needed aid to local fisherman when seeking rescue with boat damage.